Fallbrook, Pendleton water project moves along

FALLBROOK --- A long-awaited project that would provide millions
of gallons of water to Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook residents is a
step closer to reality after winning approval this week in the U.S.
House of Representatives.

The joint effort by the Fallbrook Public Utility District and
Camp Pendleton is called the Santa Margarita Conjunctive Use
Project and aims to reduce dependence on imported water by using
water from the Santa Margarita River.

The House voted unanimously Monday to approve a bill introduced
by Rep. Darrell Issa, R-Vista, that would allow the project to move
forward.

The $60 million project has been discussed in various forms for
more than 50 years. It would use water from the nearby Santa
Margarita River to supply water to Camp Pendleton and Fallbrook
residents. A portion of the river's flow would be stored in an
underground aquifer at Pendleton and then pumped from to a
treatment plant that will be built for the project.

The water would then be pumped either to Pendleton's reservoirs
or back to the Fallbrook utility district's approximately 9,000
customers.

"The key is that this project decreases reliance on imported
water, and it provides a local water source that's cheaper, higher
quality and more reliable," said utility district General Manager
Keith Lewinger.

The project would provide about 15,000 acre-feet of water, which
would be split between Camp Pendleton and the Fallbrook Public
Utility District. One acre-foot of water is equivalent to 326,000
gallons. An average San Diego County family uses between one-third
and one-half an acre-foot of water each year, according to
Lewinger.

San Diego County imports about 90 percent of its water from the
Colorado River and sources in Northern California. The Fallbrook
utility district imports about 16,000 acre-feet of water each year
through the San Diego County Water Authority. The district pays
$518 per acre-foot, though rates are scheduled to go up in
January.

"We're trying to develop a local water supply, and this is a
huge step in that direction," Lewinger said.

Lewinger said the design and construction of the project's
treatment plant could be completed by 2008.

An earlier version of the project would have treated and reused
wastewater, but the utility district's board of directors scrapped
that plan this spring.

"This is an important project finally coming to fruition that
would provide clean drinking water to residents of Fallbrook and
Camp Pendleton," Issa said Tuesday.

The project requires Senate and presidential approval before
money can be appropriated for the project.

Issa and Lewinger said they hoped for swift Senate approval.

"We're on solid footing in the Senate, but we still have work to
do, and we need to start working early," Issa said.